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Thursday, 24 March 2016

A couple of months ago, I went out with some friends to the city for lunch, and when looking for places to go afterwards, I suggested Daiso. Daiso is basically a Japanese $2.80 store -- you can find loads of great things there, from homewares to gardening equipment to makeup.

Yes, makeup.

I was tempted.

I resisted.

I didn't have any specific intention of buying anything, particularly as my brother had already been in and I'd asked him to pick me up a couple of things (which, of course, I have included), but it wasn't long before I too was trying to stop myself from piling things into a basket! That's the great/terrible thing about Daiso -- they're such a contrast to the regular $2 shop (which rarely has anything for $2) that once you start seeing things that you like, you just can't rationalise buying nothing at all.

1. Cat Post-It Tabs || Not technically the "Post-It" brand, but that's not important, right? I almost had kittens when I saw these, as they were just the perfect item for a semi-retired cat lady such as myself. They had a nice little variety of animals that you could purchase -- I have a set of frog ones from years ago -- and they're definitely great if you love a little kawaii in your life.

2. Beautiful Days Pink Eyelash Container || This came in a couple of different patterns -- either red or pink, mostly -- but I just love this. It's made of sturdy plastic and opens up to reveal four compartments with removable plastic inserts to put your eyelashes on, as well as a narrow row along the bottom that is great for storing those little bottles of lash glue. I do kind of wish that I'd bought more than one, because I have more than four pairs of lashes (and two are missing, because I never put them away right away) and there was no way of telling from the outside how many would fit. Still, a great storage solution -- just remember to put a little Post-It note under the insert so you know which lashes are which.

3. Pink notebook with French lettering || Okay, this is proof that I have a problem: I do not need any notebooks. I bought three big ones from Typo last year, then cleaned out my room and found a whole drawer full of other notebooks. (I just can't throw notebooks out if there are more than a few empty pages left.) That being said, I have plans to use this while writing my thesis, so it might not be a complete waste.

4. 0.5mm pencil lead || This might seem like such a random thing, but I have this pacer. It's glorious, it's wonderful, it cost me frickin' $4.50 from the university bookshop because I wanted a 50c pencil but it was all they had. Although I've had it for a couple of years now, it needs 0.5mm lead, which appears to be the most difficult lead refills to find. These two packets will keep be supplied for a good while.

5. Floreine binder || An adorable piece of stationary that I bought for placement! I get given so many documents whilst there that it's easy to become disorganised very quickly. I figured I may as well have an adorable binder to help combat that! Unfortunately, it's only a little larger than A4, so the pocket refills that I put inside kind of... poke out of the front, if that makes any sense. My documents weren't quite as neat and maintained as I'd hoped, so I ended up not using it. Oh well!

6. Daiso Makeup Brush Cleaner || One of the things my brother bought for me! I've heard several good things about this brush cleaner, so I'm really eager to give it a go. It's such a small bottle, though -- 150ml, I think -- that I don't know if it's going to last me very long. That being said, it probably works out to be cheaper than alternative brands.

7. Daiso Detergent for Puff and Sponge || This was what I was after the most, and my brother delivered it to me! I have a Kit Cosmetics blender sphere and it gets filthy so quickly, but I didn't have anything to clean it with -- I was practically looking to just buy a new one to replace it. Holy cow, does this do the job. I do find that I kind of need to put detergent all on the dirty areas, but it practically makes it look brand new again! I can still remember the utter shock I had as I saw the dirty water run from it to reveal a gleaming pink sponge.

8. Cake scraper (not pictured) || I was so excited to use this that I ripped the packaging off as soon as I got home and put it away. I'm not actually sure what a "cake scraper" is meant to be, but I'm not going to use it for whatever the name makes it sound like it's supposed to do. You know how when you chop vegetables and stuff, it gets all over the board and just makes a massive mess when you try to put it into the pan? I use this to kind of gather everything into a heap to dump it in. It just makes everything so much easier. Insert heart eyes all over the place.

That shows all that I've gotten from Daiso. I definitely want to pick up some more detergent in the future (that shiz is the bomb), and if I ever manage to properly organise my current collection, I might look at also purchasing some of the cosmetics!

Have you ever been to Daiso and purchased anything? Do you have any similar stores where you live? Let me know!

Monday, 21 March 2016

Hello, gorgeous humans! It has been a very, very busy month and a bit for me so far -- you'd think that being on placement might mean that I might have more time to myself in the evenings, meaning a little more time to write up a few posts or take a few pictures on the weekend.

Yeah, you'd think that, and you'd be wrong.

So many first world problems going down at Diary of a Beauty Padawan right now.

Today I'm comin at you with an unbagging (which I will probably now call "unzipping", because it sounds less lame) of my February Lip Monthly bag! This bag did indeed arrive in the last week of February, so it was well on time -- it's just been my insane schedule that has prevented me from writing up on it.

Let's take a look at what showed up in my mailbox late last month!

February's products showed up in an awesome little orange bag with red roses scattered all over -- not usually my personal aesthetic, but I'm not going to turn up my nose at easy storage space! I've got the little zipper bag from my January delivery in my bag with a couple of mirrors in it (I swear they're like bobby pins -- they keep disappearing!) so I've since passed this one onto my mother.

She likes orange and red quite a bit.

Let's take a look at what else arrived in my bag!

Seraphine Botanicals Vegan Berry Tint - "Cherry Cream" || This is described as a liquid blush for lips and cheeks, and almost half of the ingredients are supposedly natural. As the name suggests, it's vegan, but it's also free of mineral oil, parabens, and phthalates, and it isn't tested on animals -- amongst many other things. It has a doe-foot applicator (is that what it's called? I swear sometimes I hear a different name) and there appears to be a slight scent. I feel like it's kind of sweet and artificial, like something I've smelled before. I haven't worn it yet, so I don't know how well it applies, but I'm more likely to wear it on my lips than on my cheeks. I received a little 4.5g bottle that retails for $18 US.

Prim Botanicals Lip & Cheek Glow - "Radicchio" || Another lip and cheek product! As with the tint above, I'm probably only going to use this on my lips, simply because I haven't quite mastered the application of cream and liquid blushes. I think the packaging also makes it difficult to apply to the cheeks, as there are two colours set out like a mini lip palette. I can see myself dipping into it with a lip brush, but not really getting it to my cheeks. Who knows, perhaps it'll be a point of experimentation for the blog! This product is also free of mineral oil, parabens, phthalates and gluten (because apparently gluten is a thing in makeup these days) and it isn't tested on animals. This is a little 2g palette that retails for $22 US.

Harvey Prince Organics Sincerely Body Cream|| Yet another organic product! I'm normally not a body cream person -- it's essentially a thick moisturiser for the body, and who can be assed applying such a tedious product? That being said, this seems to be thinner than most body creams I've come across, and it has a very light, delicate floral scent. I actually think that it's a product I might get some enjoyment from! A 12 ounce bottle retails for $24, and I received a 15ml tube worth about $1.

NYC Expert Last Lip Color - "Creamy Caramel (440)" || I had thought that perhaps this month's bag was all about organic products until I pulled out this lipstick. I know that it's a drugstore brand, thus probably not entirely animal friendly -- but we have drugstore brands in Australia that manage to usually be cruelty-free, so it wasn't outside the realm of possibility. Oh well. This appears to be a really nice brown-nude shade, which is great because lately I've been all about them nudes. Whereas my typical go-to colours are bright reds and pinks, I've toned it down a lot lately (mostly due to laziness) and so this lipstick is going to fit awesomely into my growing collection! I received a full-sized product that retails for $1.99.

Prim Botanicals Lip & Cheek Glow -- how would you not want dip a lip brush into this?

All in all, I'm pretty stoked by this month's bag! I feel that it might be worth noting that the site does claim to send 4 or 5 lip products every month -- so far I've received four products, with one of them being not remotely related to lips at all, but I'm only two months into my subscription and that's not really much indication of a pattern. My March bag should be arriving on my doorstep within the next week, and I think we'll start to get a feel of a pattern when it does!

If you want to check out what I received in my January bag, you can find my unzipping over here.

Do you own many organic lip products? Have you used anything from these brands before? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Thursday, 10 March 2016

It's a brand that I've somehow heard of -- I'm not sure from whom -- but seldom seem to read about. Indeed, if blog posts have appeared on my Bloglovin' feed, it's very possible that I've ignored them lately. I've been so busy with my thesis of late that I only have time to quickly glance through my feed every few days.

Kah-razy!

Despite that, I saw a post in passing about the Pride + Prejudice + Zombies collection from BH Cosmetics, and I was just... All the yes. You know what I'm talking about, right? When you see a piece of makeup and your heart just sings. That compulsive, instantaneous desire to either own what you see before you -- or die.

BH Cosmetics released two Pride + Prejudice + Zombies products recently-ish, and I was no less than compelled to pick them up. All of my friends know that I'm a Janeite -- if there's an adaptation of any of her books, I've seen it. I've read all of her books many, many times (except, oddly enough, for Persuasion. I do own it, but I've never opened it. Maybe because it's part of a heavy-ass omnibus.). At one stage I was in the Top 10 for Australia in the Jane Austen category on Quiz Up.

Let's not talk about that, though. I become embarrassingly competitive when I want to win.
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BH Cosmetics Pride + Prejudice + Zombies Eye + Cheek Palette

I think these products are pretty neat! There's an eye and cheek palette, and a lip gloss collection -- both of which are pretty affordable. Given the price point and the lack of reviews on the trusty internet, I didn't really hold any high expectations for either items; the palette is $16.50 US, and the lip gloss set is $12.50 US -- and they're frequently on sale for a good deal less. Even the postage wasn't all that expensive, though it is cumulative: the more you buy, the more you pay, but it wasn't exorbitant.

I've been playing around with these products for the last couple of weeks, I'm playing around with the idea of doing in-depth reviews on them -- y'know, thesis permitting -- but barring one or two little issues, my thoughts are largely positive.
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BH Cosmetics Pride + Prejudice + Zombies Lip Gloss Collection

Worth buying? I think it comes down to extent to which you worship the Almighty Austen. If the thought of Pride and Prejudice anything is enough to send you into a frothy-mouthed, zombie rampage, I think you might just kick yourself if you missed out! If you were seriously strapped for cash, I'd recommend the lip gloss set -- if you're into lip gloss. I think it's something a little different, especially if you're an eyeshadow fiend and own a thousand palettes, and you could unleash your inner Bennet sister.

I'm going to leave it here for today, and sign off!

Oh, but on a related topic: have you seen Pride + Prejudice + Zombies yet? I haven't yet, but I enjoyed the book so much, and the film looks so kick ass!

Saturday, 5 March 2016

In true Padawan style, I bring to you a haul that happened a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away -- but better late than never, that's what they say, right?

I don't need to explain what Boxing Day is all about: you'll either nod eagerly and think of the amazing sales on offer, or shrink back in horror for fear of the traffic and hordes of people. Normally I'd be one to avoid the shops for a couple of days, but I'd received a Lush voucher for Christmas and I was an eager beaver to get at all of the Christmas Lush products. Naturally, this also meant that I spent a small fortune on clothes and lingerie (which, to be fair, I did need to update) and took advantage of the clearance bin at Myer.

Sometimes the clearance bin is my best friend. Not gonna lie.

I chose not to include any fashion items because my attempt at describing would be atrocious -- seriously, think of Brick from Anchorman. That would be me. ("This is a dress. It is blue. It is long. I like it.")

Anyway, let's get to it!

First up, the products that I nabbed from Lush! I was so kind as to receive a $50 voucher, which will only go so far if you're not buying bath bombs and the like. With all of these products but one at half price, I think I only ended up spending $5 myself.

Pretty neat, amirite?

Snow Fairy Shower Gel || People seem to either love or hate this scent, and while I like it, I can see why it might be too much for someone. When you sniff straight from the bottle, it's a very strong, sweet, syrupy scent -- it's meant to be fairy floss, but to me it's more like very, very strong strawberry Nesquick. It's a lot softer when you actually use it; you get a more delicate scent, something that is a little more akin to fairy floss.

Twilight Bath Bomb || I believe this was the only item not on sale. I haven't used this yet -- I tend to take baths in the wintertime, when the climate is much worse on my back.

Lord of Misrule Shower Scream || Holy moly, I love this. I love the notes of patchouli and peppercorn, and I adore how it lingers on the skin long after I've finished in the bathroom. My favourite thing, however, my absolute favourite thing about this product is: it foams green. It foams green! How many times have you bought a coloured soap or body wash, only for it make white suds? The fact that this makes green suds means that it has sealed a place in my heart forever.

Dirty Toothy Tabs || I was at my friend's wedding last year when a girl I was sharing a room with mentioned that she had chewable toothpaste. It naturally piqued my curiosity, so I asked her more about it, and I was thus introduced to Lush toothy tabs. I wasn't keen on the variety of "flavours" available in-store, as I'm a fan of the plain ol' peppermint, but I bought this one because it was spearmint-ish and that was clearly the closest I was going to get to peppermint. Bottom line: I don't like it. It works fine but I find the taste abhorrent.

Sakura Bath Bomb || This one looks as though it has popping candy in it, but I'm not sure that it does. Of course, I'm not going to know until I drop it into a bath, but in the meantime I can just enjoy its fresh, floral scent.

Yog Nog Bath Bomb || Another Christmas item that was half price, I think this is meant to smell like both yoghurt and egg nog. I've never had egg nog in any way, shape or form, but I believe that it will make for a fantastic aromatic bath in the dead of winter. Hopefully there are no bits in it. I hate cleaning bits out of the bath.

Golden Wonder Bath Bomb || This was the last one in the store, and I snatched it up really quickly. A little bit was broken away from the right, but I really don't mind! It's beautiful and Christmas-y and it has a little glitter on the outside; the glitter is going to be a pain in the butt to clean, but that's the price one pays for fabulousness!

Chi Chi Glamorous Makeup Summer Collection || Of all the numerous holiday collections that Chi Chi released last year, this caught my eye because of the brand new Summer Eyeshadow Palette that isn't otherwise available. It also came with the Tropical Island Bronzer, which is a really nice, soft-textured, non-orange brown, and a Pink Peach Mosaic Blush, which has a really cute little plaid pattern of pink, peach and mauve tones.

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A closer, less shoddy look at the Chi Chi Summer Palette.

A closer look at the Tropical Island Bronzer and Pink Peach Mosaic Blush.

Chi Chi Viva La Diva Lipstick Collection || There were a couple of these really awesome little sets available, and at the time I decided to go for the reds and pinks, because red and pink lipsticks bring music into my soul. The lipsticks in this collection are all available for individual purchase, but purchasing them together in this set put them at about $7.50 a piece -- before the discount. The shades in this box are: Glamazon | Lady Bump | Countess | Hot Mamma.

L'Oréal Paris Glam Matte Intense Matte Gloss - "Skinny Tangerine (511)" || This cool-looking line seems to have been deleted from L'Oréal's line, because I found a couple of them in the clearance bin for an absolute steal. This definitely leads on the more orange side of red, which is not what I'm used to, but given the right weather and clothes, I think I can pull it off.

L'Oréal Paris Glam Matte Intense Matte Gloss - "Cherry Crop (510)" || Another from the same line, and this one much more my style. It's a really beautiful pink-red, and, in my Padawan opinion, looks great all year round.

Revlon ColorBurst Lacquer Balm - "Whimsical (115)" || This is probably the most beautiful purple berry shade to have ever graced a clearance bin, and what I especially love about it is that there's glitter! Not many of my lip products have glitter or shimmer in them, and I love it when they do.

That's all that I picked up for Boxing Day last year! I did actually end up going back to my local Myer a week later and getting a few more things (I just love that clearance bin so much) -- and when I was last there, they still had plenty of Chi Chi gift sets left!

Did you grab anything in the Boxing Day sales, or do you avoid it like the plague? Would you like to see more in-depth looks at any of these products? Let me know!